Pimpers Paradise

I agree with circa-8. And i think we should look at the man writing and singing this. I think its almost sorrowful. I just first heard this song the other day, and i love Bob Marley so much, (were born on the same day) so i listen to him a lot and couldn't believe i never heard this before and i was playing Grand Theft Auto and it came on the radio in the car. I didn't get a chance to listen to the lyrics (getting chased by the police and what else...) but the actual musical side it made me smile and comforted.

Listen to the lyrics soon after and thats what brought me here... i didn't quite understand and didn't think he meant the impression his choosen words were giving. If i was to write this into a story i would have an Narrator (Bob Marley)following the steps of a young girl turned woman through a certain chapter in life where the young finally reach the world the men, and its obsessive hold on glamour, and get swept off with it all. sad really. and probably only going to get worst.

This song is not about a whore imho but about a girl like any other who like to party, take a few drug, and is exploited by 'pimpers' who look for girls like this, they show her a good time and give her these things in order to corrupt her into a life of drug addiction and then prostitution, alas like so many girls 'a victim' falls into the trap of a pimper - sad beautiful song, rip bob - u had it...

We need to remember the context of this being Jamaica in the early 80s. Lots of poverty and little opportunity for someone growing up poor, women often end up being exploited. It can be subtle at first but pimps try and lure women into high spending lifestyles and drug taking in order to hook them and also keep them slim. It often starts as a pimp acting like a boyfriend and splurging money on them.

Song describes a woman who is already living this lifestyle, loving to party and get high and spend lots of money. She is a pimper’s paradise because she is young and attractive and deeply hooked into the lifestyle. She will keep turning tricks because she wants the money, and while she is young she can have some fun. But it doesn’t last.

He warns women not to fall into this trap and end up being treated like a commodity rather than a person, like stock on store shelves.

I can't really say this is directly based on a prostitute. I mean saying that she is a "pimpers paradise" doesn't exactly mean that she is a whore. When I first heard this I was about 18 y.o. And immediatley the connection for me was in relation to young women and their vulnerability when they venture out in the world and they get caught up in the material things and party life; they are naive to the nature of men and what we really want. Atleast for the pretty ones they have stuff provided to them i.e drugs, clothes, and money and because of this "use and be used system" it creates the easy access to things they want and they may start to treat life as a joke. I've seen it a million times. Their eyes get big at the sight of the glamour and glitz by the and time they reach their mid-twenties they are turned-out walking trajedies or they have grown to be so beautiful "your very head will bow." I prefer to see that latter ;-)

I agree that the main message is summed up in "Don't lose track of yourself" I'm a woman and I spend a lot of time sighing at bad messages about women, but even though this song sounds a little bit bad about women, I really think ultimately it is a song about something that really happens- what circa describes, about girls moving to the city and getting lost in the glitz in the glamour. In the end, all you have are a couple friends and your family, everything else is easily lost, so everything she is starstruck by is just empty- meanwhile, she's getting a slutty reputation. Bad all around.

agreed with everyone above but by the title 'Pimpers paradise' he means that because she's caught up in that life style and vanity that she would be vunerable to a pimp's lies and promises and charm, making her someone a pimp would wanna target to work for him. This was and could still be a common thing in jamaica. Marley is truth

I think the idea of a woman having to prostitute herself just for the ego filled temporary pleasures of this world is just an allegory for all of us living in this pimpers paradise. Don't lose track of yourself.

Definitely one of the top three chilles songs i have ever heard. I can't believe it has no comments. Beautiful.... beautiful. Oh yeah and the song was abouta whore.

drug addiction

I agree with UwASToLdWronG is a great song is really weird it has no comments bob marley is a legen and he's alive. He'll never die